The deal had been dead for a week before I found out. Buyers just ghosted, their agent stopped returning calls, and nobody thought to loop me in until I texted asking about the closing date. The appraisal came in at 312. We were under contract at 365. Fifty-three thousand dollar gap, and the appraiser used a comp from a foreclosure two streets over that sold in February. February. During that ice storm when half the neighborhood had burst pipes. My sellers, they'd already put a deposit on their new place in Austin. Non-refundable. Eight thousand dollars. The appraiser, and this is the part that still gets me, he never went inside. Did a drive-by because quote the exterior condition was sufficient for valuation purposes unquote. The house has a brand new kitchen. Forty thousand dollar renovation, we have receipts, we have before photos, we have the permit paperwork. He valued it based on the vinyl siding. Called the lender to dispute, got transferred three times, ended up talking to someone who kept calling it "the property in question" like we were in court. She said they'd review it in 10 to 15 business days. The contract expired in 8. My sellers are now paying two mortgages. The buyers found something else, closed last week apparently. And the foreclosure comp? That house just resold for 340. Three months later. Same house. Nobody apologizes in this business. They just move on to the next file. Meanwhile I'm still getting automated emails asking me to rate my experience with the appraisal management company.